Announced today at the Rapha Cycle Club in Sydney, Australia, Zwift has moved its online multiplayer training game from invite only to 'Open Beta', allowing anyone to now sign up for free.
Zwift launched last October, allowing cyclists to ride, train and race each other in rich 3D virtual worlds from the comfort of their own homes. To get involved, users simply connect compatible trainers (electronic not required), power meters, heart rate monitors and/or speed/cadence sensors via an ANT+ dongle over the Internet to Zwift.
In addition to the free sign-up, Zwift today announced a list of industry partnerships including pro riders, pro teams, events, bike, equipment and trainer brands, and retailers. Such rider examples include Jens Voigt, Ted King and Evelyn Stevens. With large industry partners including Trek, Canyon, Specialized and the Richmond 2015 UCI Road World Championships – users will soon be able to select special equipment (Pinarello’s F8 is a bike that users can currently unlock) and perhaps race the world’s course.
Zwift is currently available to users of both PC and Mac platforms and is enhanced by iOS and Android apps. To ensure your training continues to go to plan, rides can be uploaded to fitness tracking services such as Strava, Garmin Connect and Training Peaks.